COVID-19 FEARS: ‘WHY MANZINI VENDORS AT FLEA MARKET?’

MBABANE - Vendors operating in Mbabane are of the view that granting traders from Manzini permits to sell their products in the capital city will spread COVID-19.
The vendors were speaking in relation to the flea market, which has been scheduled for August 1, 2020.

Worth noting is that the proposed flea market is the first one since government temporarily suspended the sale of clothes and wares among other things  with intent to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
The worried vendors wondered how the Municipal Council of Mbabane arrived at granting permits to Manzini vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

“Manzini has recently been declared an epicentre due to the high number of infections, so how can one allow vendors from that region to come to Mbabane? We do not fear the competition, but what matters most are the lives of the people. I will rather stay home and make no cent than being in the same environment with vendors from another region,” said one of the concerned vendors.
The vendors alleged that most of those who had been granted permits to operate on the day were from the Manzini Region.

Opportunity

This publication had an opportunity to go through the notice posted on the walls at the Mbabane Market.
The municipality clearly stated that vendors would be divided into three groups to ensure social distancing on the day.
 According to the notice, vendors would be expected to observe social distancing of about 2.5 metres between stalls.
This means that there would be two vacant stalls between vendors. Only one vendor would be allowed in one stall.

 The traders have been warned to bring 70 per cent alcohol based sanitisers and ensure that all customers are sanitised before and after purchasing. They have also been advised to sanitise the clothes or wares regularly.
The municipality warned that vendors and customers should wear masks at all times and avoid shouting and singing.

Guidelines

The municipality clearly stated that failure to adhere to the guidelines would result in immediate closure of the stall and revoking of the flea market permit as per the Coronarivus (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020.
When asked about the guidelines, the vendors maintained that COVID-19 would be spread by activities on the day as people would be moving from one stall to the other.
They stated that the more customers touched the clothes, the more they could spread the virus.

“I acknowledge that the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade revised the COVID-19 regulations for businesses to operate but that does not mean we should turn a blind eye to the virus,” said another vendor.
The vendors observed that the COVID-19 cases were less than 500 when government revised the regulations.
“In as much as we want money, we should consider the alarming infection rate and the financial challenges faced by the country nowadays. We cannot turn a blind eye to the 2 142 confirmed cases,” said a vendor, who further suggested that the municipality should revisit it decision.

Municipal Council of Mbabane Information and Public Relations Officer Lucky Tsabedze said the flea market was aimed at boosting the economy of municipalities and the vendors.
Tsabedze said it was for that reason the applications for flea market permits granting was non-discriminatory.

He said the municipality would ensure that all vendors and the customers adhered to the COVID-19 guidelines.
“The municipality will ensure that customers are monitored from the entry point in order to avoid overcrowding. For example, people will be allowed to enter the market in groups,” he said.

Municipality

Tsabedze also pointed out that the municipality took COVID-19 so serious that it debated the revival of the flea market during the outbreak.
He stated that the municipality would want to revise the strategy depending on the circumstances.

He stated that a concern was that customers came from all the regions of the country to buy clothes at the flea market.
It should be noted that health experts have stated that the virus could remain infectious on different surfaces for varying amounts of time.
The virus seems less viable on absorbent surfaces like cloth as opposed to surfaces that are hard and non-porous.

According to the World Health Organisation, the disease spreads primarily through tiny droplets expelled when a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) sneezes, coughs, exhales or spits while talking.
In order to curb the spread, the emphasis should be on ensuring physical distancing and good hand hygiene within the market.

Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said there was no better tool to prevent the spread of the virus except for maintaining social distancing, proper sanitising and wearing of masks.
Magagula said even though the virus could be less viable on clothes, the fact was that it could spread.
“The best thing is to be vigilant and adhere to the precautionary measures.
“You cannot stop people from Manzini. What people need to know is that the virus does not choose people according to regions hence the need for adherence to precautionary measures,” he said.

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